Website again, Nursery Schools, TV Licences, Wimberley

Firstly, further to the blog entry yesterday about the Council website, attended the launch of the revamped website this morning along with Council Leader Kevin Keenan (click on headline to view story in Evening Telegraph).

I have now spoken with numerous parents with children at Bellfield Nursery about the Director of Education’s report to next Monday’s Education Committee proposing consultation on a proposed merger with Park Place Nursery School. I have urged all parents to make their views known in writing to the Director.

Had my first Thursday surgeries tonight & first ones at Harris Academy (5.30pm) and the Mitchell Street Centre (5pm). Blackness Primary School (6.15pm) is my original surgery and I no longer have a City Centre surgery thanks to the boundary commission (say no more …)

Later on this evening I attended a very well-attended meeting of residents in the Hillside area regarding the draft Site Planning Brief consultation about the former Wimberley Student Flats.

Recently, the Blackness Area Residents’ Association raised with me the issue of concessionary TV licences. I paste below part of the response I have received from the Housing Department on this matter :

Background

I have investigated the history of Concessionary Licence at Corso Street Complex. Our own internal TV licensing documentation related to Corso Street Complex dates back to 1992. There is no indication that the complex held the concessionary Licence during this period to the present day.

Contact With TV Licensing (UK)

I spoke directly to a representative of TV Licensing Board, who is responsible for regulating the concessionary scheme national, on 5 June 2007 regarding the design of the sheltered housing complex at Corso Street. He informed me that where designated sheltered housing complexes have a mix of sheltered and mainstream units pepper potted throughout a development ( *i.e. similar to Corso Street where the ground and 1st floor accommodation of a tenement building has a mix of sheltered and non-sheltered tenants) would not qualify under the Sheltered Housing Concessionary TV Licensing regulations. It is my understanding that Wedderburn Sheltered Complex does not have this type of pepper-potting of sheltered and non sheltered housing; as a result qualifies for the Sheltered Housing Concessionary TV Licence.

In situations where sheltered complexes have lost their concessionary status as result of the type of *pepper potting described in the previous paragraph, existing tenants under the age 75 affected by this decision would retain the concessionary status but new tenants under the age of 75 moving into the sheltered complex would not (i.e. they would pay the full cost of the licence)

NB All individuals over the age of 75 are entitled to a free TV licence.

The Next Step

To obtain official clarification on Corso Street entitlement to the concessionary licence, TV Licensing representative agreed to forward a Sheltered Housing Concessionary Licensing Application Form to us. Once we receive the form Dundee City Council’s Sheltered Housing Officer for Corso Street, will complete and submit it to TV Licensing on the Council`s behalf. Upon receiving TV Licensing decision on the application, I will contact you directly with the relevant information.